In April, GlaxoSmithKline filed a citizen’s petition with the FDA asking the agency to treat weight loss claims for dietary supplements as disease claims.
This doesn’t sit well with the supplements industry, but is the right thing to do? Continue reading Do weight loss claims = disease claims?
In this study from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, supplementation with the antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) reduced exercise-induced muscular injury in athletes. Continue reading CoQ10 reduces evidence of muscle injury
You’ll have to join to get more details, but here are the top line findings. Continue reading ConsumerLab tests iron supplements
Researchers from the Institute of Child Health in London tested the ketogenic diet in a randomized controlled trial. Continue reading Ketogenic diet improves drug-resistant epilepsy
In an earlier post I stated that tea “has low toxicity.”
That’s still true, but here are some people who developed toxicity from drinking too much tea. Continue reading Getting toxic from drinking tea
This is the 2nd time in 2 days I’ve seen “palliative care†applied to the care or patients who are not at the end of life.
“If the relation with pain is causal, palliative care could increase the quality of life and range of activities in which people participate,” say researchers from Princeton University in New Jersey and Stony Brook, New York. Continue reading Applying palliative care to pain management
For the treatment of acute low back pain, “improvements using NSAIDs [nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs] vs placebo are modest, and whether NSAIDs confer greater benefit than acetaminophen (paracetamol, Tylenol) is controversial,” according to Dr. Charles Vega from the University of California, Irvine.
Here’s his view of spinal manipulation. Continue reading Spinal manipulation vs NSAIDs for low back pain
The American Thoracic Society has published recommendations for combining palliative with standard care in patients with chronic and advanced respiratory tract illnesses or critical disease.
These recommendations expand palliative care to include all patients with respiratory disease. The complementary recommendations are highlighted below. Continue reading Palliative care for all patients with lung disease
Thumbing through the August 2007 issue of Cat Fancy magazine, I found an article with the following caveats. Continue reading Aromatherapy and cats: Caution
Here’s a summary of the Cochrane review of tongxinluo. Continue reading Tongxinluo: Chinese medicine for unstable angina
Researchers from Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS) in Athens, Greece reviewed the evidence for probiotics in treating or preventing atopic dermatitis in children. Continue reading Probiotics and dermatitis: A review in infants and kids
Studies dating back more than 15 years suggest that people with depression are likely to have low blood levels of folic acid (or folate) and vitamin B12.
Of course, not all of the researchers have come to the same conclusion. But to start, here’s a summary of the most positive analysis of folic acid and B12.
Papworth method is a sequence of breathing and relaxation exercises developed at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire in the 1960s.
It hadn’t been studied ’til now. Continue reading Testing the Papworth breathing technique in asthma sufferers
In 1993, Dr. Charles Morin published the results of research in 24 older adults with insomnia. He found that 8 weeks of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) improved their insomnia.
Furthermore, the improvement lasted 12 months.
Well, now its 2006 and Dr. Morin is back.
A probiotic drink containing Lactobacillus reduced the incidence of diarrhea caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile in older hospitalized patients who were receiving antibiotics. Continue reading Probiotics prevent diarrhea during antibiotic treatment
Traumeel is a homeopathic anti-inflammatory and analgesic preparation containing 12 botanicals and 2 minerals.
Doctors in Germany compared it to conventional treatment for sprains, strains, and bruises. Continue reading Treating minor injuries with Traumeel
Maybe if we do a bigger, better, study… Continue reading No benefit from acupuncture for allergic rhinitis
“Acupuncture reduced by half the hot flushes caused by tamoxifen in 59 breast cancer patients after surgery,” according to this study presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) in Berlin. Continue reading Acupuncture in women after breast cancer surgery
The British Association for Psychopharmacology does not rank massage among CAM options for dementia. Apparently, there are too few studies available for them to evaluate.
Based on what is available, here’s what we know.
Continue reading The value of massage in patients with dementia
Baby massage has a positive effect on the mood status of mothers, according to a recent